The European Commission has assured that none of the development aid it provides to the Palestinians falls into the hands of Hamas and that its program will continue without further pauses or delays. The community manager had begun reviewing the program following the attack on Israel on October 7, when nearly 1,200 Israelis, mostly civilians, were killed by Islamic militias, the bloodiest day for Jews since World War II.
Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis said, “The investigation found no indication that EU funds directly or indirectly benefited the terrorist organization Hamas,” putting a definitive end to the debate that had been going on for weeks. Brussels executive chief Ursula von der Leyen claimed that “this review confirms the effectiveness of the security measures in place”, adding that “we are currently working to plan our future support for the Palestinians in light of the constantly evolving security measures”. situation.” To prevent future problems, Brussels has determined that controls on beneficiaries of community funds will be further tightened.
It all started after the Hamas attack on October 7, when Hungarian commissioner Oliver Varhelyi suddenly tweeted that EU funds for Palestine had been stopped. Discussions and accusations will continue in the following days. Political forces such as Varhelyi and the League had stated that there was a risk that Union funds would go to Hamas through programs aimed at the Gaza Strip. The Northern League accused the EU of indirectly financing the group that Brussels has listed as a terrorist. The blockade announcement was definitively overturned by the EU Council, and in the following weeks the Commission also decided to increase aid to the Palestinian people in light of the humanitarian catastrophe caused by Israeli military intervention in Gaza.
This was not the first time Enlargement Commissioner Varhelyi has stonewalled funding for Palestine: this already happened between 2021 and 2022, when a controversy over a school textbook considered fundamentalist pushed the Commissioner into a year-long freeze. 200 million euros will be transferred to the West Bank Since the beginning of Tel Aviv’s offensive, nearly two-thirds of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have been left homeless; Thousands of Palestinians continue to walk south every day with their belongings and children in their arms. The central and southern parts of the region, where Israel told them to leave, were also regularly attacked. According to health officials in the Hamas-ruled Strip, at least 13,300 people have died so far, including 5,600 children.
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Source: Today IT
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
